Teacher:Students
are informed that the great festival of Raksha-bandhan falls
tomorrow. On this day the infliction of physical torture on
Akampanacharya and his seven hundred disciples was stopped. As
such this is a day of rejoicing for us. The school shall remain
closed tomorrow on account of this.

Student - Sir, who
was Akampanacharya, what sort of physical torture was inflicted
upon him and how was it stopped? Please explain in brief.

Teacher - Listen.
Akampanacharya was a Digamber (nude) monk; he had seven hundred
disciples in his assembly of monks, and he was their Acharya.
Shriverma was the king of Ujjain, then. He had four
ministers-Bali, Namuchi, Brahaspati and Prahlad.

When the king knew of the arrival of the
monks, he went there with all his paraphernalia for their
Darshan. All the four ministers were with him. All the monks,
then, were absorbed in contemplation. Therefore, there was no
talk or discourse.

The ministers had no faith in Digamber
(nude) monks. They, therefore, wanted to insinuate the king
against them and told him the silence of the monks was a sign of
their foolishness, and that it was a good instrument for hiding
their ignorance. It was on account of this that the monks had
kept silent.

Monk Shrutsagar was coming back after
taking meals. Seeing him one of the ministers called him an ox
and entangled him in discussion. On his turn, the monk by his
strong reasoning shattered their pride to pieces. Their sense of
pride was hurt in the presence of the king. They departed from
that place in silence, but all the four visited the spot in the
night and raised their swords altogether to attack the monk, but
their hands, as if nailed, remained in that position only. When
the king and the people learnt all this in the morning, they
arrived there. All offered their prayers to the monk and the king
exiled all the four ministers.

Student - How did
the particular monk stay on that spot in the night? He should
have kept himself busy in meditation, where the whole company of
monks was staying ?

Teacher - When he
told the Acharya the discussion he had with the ministers, the
Acharya told him that he should not have indulged in any dialogue
with them. Even when we offer milk to a snake, it transforms the
milk into poison. Similarly, discussion with cruel, passionate,
worldly-minded beings inflames their wrath only. The Acharya also
thought that the ministers might inflict physical torture on the
monk, and, therefore, he asked him to go to the spot and keep
busy in contemplation throughout the night there.

Student - Then....

Teacher - All the
four ministers went to Hastinagpur and began to serve King
Padamrai. Having been pleased with them for some good
achievement, he asked them to demand Any gift whatsoever. They
requested the kingto bestow the gift on them on some other
occasion, according to their convenience.

Once Akampanacharya with his seven
hundred disciples arrived in Hastinagpur. The four ministers
demanded seven days' ruling powers from the king, for themselves.
Having assumed the right of governing the kingdom, they started
inflicting severe tortures on the monks.

Monk Vishnu Kumar, brother of King
Padamrai, who had accepted the order of monkhood before, saved
the monks from that torture.

Student - How did an
armless monk (Vishnu Kumar) offer protection to the monks from
the tortures of strong and cruel administrators ?

Teacher - Vishnu
Kumar had the power of assuming different forms and shapes. He
left the order of monkhood and assumed the shape of a dwarf and
reached the court of Bali. Bali asked him to demand any gift. He
demanded three steps of land, the measure being his own feet.
Then he assumed the form of a formidable human being and measured
the whole land in two steps only. This way he defeated Bali and
saved the lives of the monks. That was the last day of the month
of Shravan. The day began to he observed as Raksha-bandhan since
then. Lives of the saints were saved and Bali was put in chains.

Student -Can
somebody in the role of a monk do all this ?

Teacher - No, you
have not listened to the story with attention. 1 told you that
Vishnu Kumarji had left monkhood and assumed the shape of a
dwarf. All this was not befitting his position. Therefore, he
offered repentance and got initiated into monkhood for the second
time.

Student -Glory to
monk Vishnu Kumar !

Teacher - In fact,
glorious were Akampanacharya and his disciples, who were not
detracted from their spiritual state of contemplation in the face
of inhuman torture inflicted upon them.

Student -Blessed
is monk Shrutsagar, who shattered the pride of Bali and other
ministers in discussion.

Teacher -His
erudition of spiritual matters is praiseworthy, but he should not
have entangled himself in discussion with those wicked ministers.
Those who are engaged in the pursuit of their souls, should not
indulge in discussions with wicked people.

Student - Why so ?

Teacher - So much
trouble arose on account of such indulgence only. Therefore, one
striving for self-realisation should engage himself in
metaphysical thinking, leaving aside all worldly affairs. That is
the only way to emancipation from the bondage of worldly life.